INTERVIEWS WITH CREWMEN ONBOARD HMS BATTLEAXE, AND AERIAL VIEWS OF THE FRIGATE AND ITS COMPANION HMS JUPITER [Allocated Title]

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  • Title: INTERVIEWS WITH CREWMEN ONBOARD HMS BATTLEAXE, AND AERIAL VIEWS OF THE FRIGATE AND ITS COMPANION HMS JUPITER [Allocated Title]
  • Film Number: ADM 6386
  • Other titles: THE ROYAL NAVY IN THE GULF, 1990-1991 [Allocated Series Title]
  • Summary: Interviews with some of the crew onboard HMS Battleaxe. The DPR(N) crew are then transferred to HMS Jupiter by helicopter.
  • Description: Onboard HMS Battleaxe. Continuation from 8098 of interview with Lieutenant-Commander Harland, First Lieutenant on the bridge. Problems with upkeep of a ship on patrol: Battleaxe had a chance to catch up with ship husbandry while in the Far East. "Tiddly work" is now pushed to one side in favour of weapons maintenance - regular cleaning and cooling. Message to families at home: no immediate problem despite "media hype". He echoes his captain's laudable sentiments regarding hostages in Iraq and Kuwait. Cut to CPO Ian (?) Finlay, Chief Stoker on Battleaxe. General feeling of the crew: here to do a job, looking forward to home. Ship is holding up well mechanically, and self-maintenance is going well despite having so many young people onboard. Ship and crew more than capable of dealing with chemical attack. Message home: try not to worry too much, "hopefully it will all end peacefully." Asked about the cutting short of their Far East deployment, Finlay says that there was some initial resentment, but it has passed. The CPO sends birthday greetings to his daughter Laura. Cut to Writer Richard J Rudd, and a similar routine. Feelings of the crew: a bit perturbed at first, especially those that left wives and girlfriends in Penang, but now settled down to do the job. Chemical weapons: "deep down" some of the lads are worried but they have confidence in their equipment and training. A description of his job in the ops room, and the watch system currently in force. The problem of the heat. A belated happy birthday to sister Helen and love to his family. Break. CUs of a member of the ship's flight relaxing on a sun-lounger set up next to the parked Lynx 403. He is reading a paperback ('Red Storm Rising' by Tom Clancy), and mops his brow in the heat - CUs catch the sweat trickling down his face. Cut to men in sport's gear running round the frigate's upper deck. CU of one man doing sit-ups. Break. Cameraman boards Lynx and helicopter takes off to circle the ship - the aircraft passes up the port side, then crosses onto the starboard bow to hover and let the ship run through the frame, before crossing her wake to repeat the run up the port side - there is no sound except intermittent radar interference. HA to frigate's quarterdeck - crew wave to the camera. Helicopter withdraws to circle the ship again, now seen in low sun. CU of observer, and view over the pilot's shoulder through the windscreen to distant HMS Jupiter, the aircraft approaching from starboard. Helicopter crosses ship's wake to approach from port quarter - on FDO's signal she lands on. Cut to view from flightdeck as helicopter takes off, then cut to its return to land on with other members of the DPR(N) team, and once again take off to return to Battleaxe.
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © Crown copyright. IWM (ADM 6386)
  • Featured Period: 1990-2000
  • Production Date: 1990-08
  • Production Country: GB
  • Production Details: Directorate of Public Relations (Navy) Film and Photographic (Production company)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations: Harland (Lieutenant-Commander) (person) Royal Navy, BATTLEAXE (HMS), frigate (regiment/service) Royal Navy, Jupiter (regiment/service)
  • Keywords: ships, British naval - frigate: Jupiter (object name) ships, British naval - frigate: Battleaxe (object name) aircraft, British naval - helicopter: Westland Lynx (object name) recreation, British naval - casual: reading (object name) recreation, British naval - casual: exercise (object name) 12/7(536.8) (event) Persian Gulf (geography)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: Colour Sound format: Sound Soundtrack language: English Title language: None Subtitle language: None
  • Technical Details: Format: Beta-SP; VHS Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Running time: 20 mins
  • HD Media:
  • Notes: Remarks: the close similarity between the First Lieutenant's and the Captain's attitudes to the media (cf 8098), and the sentiments expressed in their messages to those at home, bespeak either a remarkable identity of opinion, or suggest that their views were arrived at by discussion - which is more or less to say that the First Lieutenant was speaking under instruction.
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    ADM 6386

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